Accessory Sunday: AVIIQ Portable Quick Stand

Apple has not been shy about promoting its Smart Covers as a key accessory for the iPad 2. A reengineering of the functional but uninspiring rubbery folio case for the original iPad, the colorful covers can be folded into a triangle to prop up the iPad to a comfortable angle for viewing or typing. But Apple isn’t the only company looking to bring iPad-inspired design back to computers. Accessory-maker AVIIQ has released a few pricey flat-folding laptop stands. The least expensive of these is the $40 Portable Quick Stand (PQS), which dispenses with the extended surface of the pricier models.

The PQS does not create a confidence- inspiring presence out of the box; in fact, it easily tips over without some weight atop it steadying it. This became a practical issue as I’d often have to reorient it if I needed to remove it to reposition it. However, with its rubbery cladding on either side, the stand stays put underneath a laptop. My main concern with the product was whether the gap in its folding angles would pinch fingers as they got caught manipulating it, but the “give” in the product’s sides prevents any discomfort. I also found the angle a bit extreme; unfortunately it is not adjustable.

The shiny plastic PQS is easy to slip into a laptop case. However, having seen many clever devices to prop up a handset or tablet, I think there’s room for improvement — something with a mire rigid form and more flexible angle.